TIRUCHY: The central region of TN, comprising 41 constituencies across nine districts, has delivered 12 seats to actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the 2026 election. However, the party lost several constituencies by razor-thin margin — some as low as 579 and five losses under 2,000 votes — emerging as a key stumbling block to form government on its own.
Contesting in 233 seats, TVK won 108, including 12 from the central region. The central belt, which was expected to swing further in favour of the party, fell short of expectations. The number of seats would come down if Vijay prefers to resign from Tiruchy East.
Even though the party lost in 29 constituencies, TVK candidates came second in 19 seats, losing five of them by margin of less than 2,000 votes, while securing third place in 10 seats with larger margins.
Insiders feel stronger efforts during the campaign could have helped the party win a few more seats in the central region. The relatively low-key campaigns of candidates were evident in many constituencies. “The presence of Vijay could have given a thrust in many constituencies where the party lost,” a party functionary said on condition of anonymity.
TVK’s Pudukkottai candidate KM Shariff, who lost by 1,867 votes to V Muthuraja of DMK, said wider campaign coverage by Vijay could have improved the outcome. “His presence in the campaign was one of the key factors for victory.
Though we tried to penetrate rural pockets, the strong organisational structures of major parties made it difficult,” he said. In Karur, TVK won Krishnarayapuram (SC), one of the four constituencies. However, losses in Kulithalai and Karur came after tough contests, with narrow margins of 579 and 1,821 votes respectively.
Karur candidate VP Mathiyalagan pointed to an urban-rural divide. “A few corporation wards under Krishnarayapuram helped our candidate win. In rural areas, people were skeptical about our party coming to power, though they still voted for us,” he said.
TVK cadres also said Vijay’s absence in Karur during campaign, following the stampede, might have impacted the party’s prospects. There were also instances where TVK candidates lost by margins exceeding 10,000 votes. In Viralimalai in Pudukkottai, the party lost by a margin of 62,073 votes to AIADMK’s C Vijayabaskar. Despite such defeats, TVK candidates managed to come second or third in several constituencies.
It was also evident that influence of local strongmen in constituencies such as Viralimalai and Vedaranyam downplayed the broader “Vijay wave.” The party failed to win a single seat in Ariyalur, Tiruvarur, Nagappattinam and Mayiladuthurai. At the same time, it recorded emphatic victories in some constituencies, with margins exceeding 30,000 votes. Of the 12 constituencies won by TVK, the party secured comfortable margins ranging from 3,500 to over 33,000 votes in 10 constituencies, including Tiruchy East.
R Gokul
